Details

Following more than a decade of public disquiet around allegations of sexual abuse of young people in the Cornwall area and dissatisfaction with the outcomes of an investigation conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police in 1997, the Commission was set up to inquire into the institutional response of the justice system and other public institutions in relation to the allegations. It was to make recommendations directed to the improvement of the response in similar circumstances, and report on processes that would encourage community healing and reconciliation in Cornwall.

The Process
The primary phase of the Commission's work consisted of evidentiary hearings. In conjunction with the hearings, the Commision ordered research papers, held community meetings and educational workshops, established witness and counselling support programs, and provided the opportunity for individuals to give informal testimony as part of the process of healing.

Governing Legislation
Public Inquiries Act

Governing Authority
The government of Ontario

Written Submissions
At the close of Phase 1 of the Inquiry (the evidentiary hearings), 19 detailed written submissions on behalf of groups and individuals given standing by the Commission were received. At the close of Phase 2, there were 8 written submissions on behalf of groups and institutions.

Research
Commissioned research included a study of the print and broadcast media coverage of allegations of historical abuse of young people in the Cornwall area from 1986 until the end of 2004, as well as an historical review and three surveys of policies and practices of government and child welfare agencies and of religious institutions.

Witnesses
There were 177 witnesses on the Commission's Hearings list. In addition to expert and institutional witnesses, over 30 victims testified at the Inquiry, giving evidence of abuse by teachers, foster parents, Catholic priests, probation officers, shop owners, and other members of the community.

Institutions
The institutions whose responses were inquired into invlolved the justice system (Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Cornwall Community Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Ministry of the Attorney General), as well as the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, School Boards and the Children’s Aid Society.

Findings
The Commission report presents a detailed recounting of the facts of the series of abuse allegations and the responses of each of the seven institutions, with diffuse findings as to the nature of the various responses. The overall tenor of the findings may be gauged from the recommendations.

Recommendations
A total of 234 recommendations were made.

Of these, 167 recommendations were directed separatelyto the various government ministries, Cornwall police, Ontario Provincial Police, the local children's aid society, Catholic Church diocese, and area school boards (Phase 1 of the Commission Mandate). They regarded the training, screening and oversight of institutions' officers and clergy, note taking and record keeping, information sharing and protocols. For the police, recommendations were made on prioritising historical sexual abuse cases, and interviewing and communicating with complainants. For the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, recommendations included the encouraging of reporting to police and Children’s Aid Society, having no confidentiality clauses in settlement documents, and wholesale protocol reform around handling of allegations and accused priests. For the Diocese and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, it was recommended that public appeals be made for further victims to come forward, and that apologies should be issued.

The other 67 recommendations dealt with Community Healing and Reconciliation (Phase 2 of the Commission Mandate), including public awareness, education, and professional training, public policy change, programs and services in Ontario, and counselling and witness support.

Cost
The cost of the inquiry was reported to be $53 million.